Jennifer is an Australian girl on the run from her past who washes up in Amsterdam. In a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, she joins a coach-load of tourists embarking on a tour of Holland’s world famous windmills. When the bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, she and the other tourists are forced to seek shelter in a disused shed beside a sinister windmill where, legend has it, a Devil-worshiping miller once ground the bones of locals instead of grain. As members of the group start to disappear, Jennifer learns that they all have something in common – a shared secret that seems to mark them all for doom.

Nick Jongerius the director of the new film, The Windmill, is an interesting filmmaker. Known for the film Frankenstein’s Army in which World War II soldiers stumble upon Hitler’s secret lab of patchwork soldiers based on the Mary Shelly classic,  Jongerius sprightly demeanor drives a compassionate bent to the otherwise horrific stories he tells. HorrorBuzz recently had the chance to speak with him by phone on his recent release, The Windmill, which comes out today in limited release in theaters and is also available on VOD and iTunes.

Inspired by the classic horror films of the 80’s The Windmill tells the story of a young Australian girl named Jennifer (Charlotte Beaumont) who is running from a past that continues to follow her. In an ensemble morality play we are also introduced to a collection of disparate tourists who have descended upon Amsterdam for various reasons that become clear as the movie goes along. The group of characters all come together on a tour bus that is set to tour the iconic Windmill country of Denmark.

Director Jongerius and co-screenwriters Chris W. Mitchell, and Suzy Quid take the time to tell each of the characters particular stories. “We actually had more that we wanted to share,” Says Jongerius via phone interview, “But it is a horror film and we had to keep things moving.” Noting the importance of character development, he explains, “It is important to set these people up, to tell their story. It makes what happens to them later have such an impact.” This is true.

In The Windmill we have a host of diverse characters with our protagonist Jennifer (Charlotte Beaumont) including Nicholas the doctor (Noah Taylor), Takashi the Japanese tourist with a spiritual side (Tanroh Ishida) Curt (Adam Thomas Wright) and his father Douglas (Patrick Baladi), Ruby the fashion model (Fiona Hampton), and Jackson the soldier out on leave (Ben Batt) Each has a dark history that is pulled to the surface when the bus breaks down and the group seeks refuge in a mysterious Windmill.  Supernatural events begin to play with this group of tourists as they are all picked off, one by one, by an evil force.

Interesting too is the international cast that is on display here. We enjoy a global ensemble of very good performances that serves to broaden the appeal of the story. A savvy business move, one wonders if this was intentional to broaden global market appeal. “No, we really just wanted to tell a great story.” Said Jongerius, “We cast people from all over the world because they are the best actors for those parts.” He is correct. the performances ring true and feel genuine to the point that you relate to these people. None are villains, yet the have done some pretty bad things and have to face the consequences.

As the tourists are lured away, one by one, the mystery is revealed and they attempt to survive a night in the otherwise tranquil windmill country. Punctuated by beautiful production values The Windmill comes off as grand entertainment. The full orchestral score textures the film with a sweep that is impressive and engrossing. The production design plays with tones of blues (safety) and reds (dangers) that visually cue the viewers of what is to come. Jongerius also directs very capably with hints of (Good) Spielberg influence flowing throughout, keeping the story moving and juggling the intimate moments with the set pieces, the scares, and the suspense.

The Windmill was a  fantastical Twilight Zone style horror movie that takes time to make us care about the characters before putting them through hell. That is the most effective kind of horror film, where we, as the audience, care about the characters and relate to them as they endure what is on the screen. If you need something to watch this Halloween, you need look no further than The Windmill. A fiendishly clever horror movie with plenty of substance and scares.